Metal

Music Recommendation: SILENT DESCENT

Civilian Reader Music , , , ,

Back in 2012, when I was still reviewing music on the regular, I received an advance copy of Mind Games, the second album by British metallers Silent Descent. I was immediately taken by their “trance-metal”: brash, heavy, immediate, high-energy, melodic, and bombastic. “Coke Stars” and “Brick” became favourite tracks, and have been on my everyday playlist ever since. Their sound is huge and seemed perfect for huge venues, but I have no idea how popular they actually are.

During a peripatetic few years post-college, I lost track of many things, including what many of my favourite bands were up to. The band’s latest album, Turn to Grey was released in 2017, and I was only made aware of it after YouTube recommended the video for “Vortex” — probably because it features Björn Strid of Soilwork, one of my all-time favourite bands. I hit play immediately, and then promptly bought the album. It’s been on heavy rotation ever since. Turn to Grey sounds immediately like Silent Descent, but also shows a band that has continued to grow and improve their songwriting and musicianship. Just all-round a fantastic level-up. The song “Rob Rodda” is an absolute banger.

So, really, today I’m just recommending that all CR readers who are also fans of metal give Silent Descent a listen. If you’re a fan of bands like Soilwork, In Flames, The Halo Effect, then I’d definitely recommend you check them out. 🤘 Continue reading →

Music Review: CLAYMAN 20th Anniversary Edition by In Flames (Nuclear Blast)

Civilian Reader Music, Review , , , , , ,

InFlames-Clayman20thIn Flames revisits their groundbreaking sixth album

I discovered In Flames shortly after they released their seventh album, Reroute to Remain. As I later learned, it marked quite a dramatic evolution of the band’s sound that helped catapult them onto a larger stage. Without sacrificing their intensity and much of their heaviness, the album featured more varied and interesting vocal stylings from Anders Fridén (one of my favourite metal vocalists). Clayman was released two years before Reroute to Remain, and in its singles, one could just about hear the seeds of their impending evolution. Continue reading →

Music: TOSS A COIN TO YOUR WITCHER, a Metal Version…

Civilian Reader Music , , , , , , , , , ,

Well, this is pretty cool: Trivium frontman Matt Heafy has recorded a metal cover of “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher”. It works rather well, too. The song is the catchy-AF song from The Witcher TV adaptation.

You can watch Season 1 of The Witcher on Netflix. Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher novels are published by Orbit in North America and Gollancz in the UK. Trivium’s latest album, What the Dead Men Say, is out now via Roadrunner Records. The title track is the latest single, and you can watch the video for that, below:

Music: “THE SIGNAL FIRE” by Killswitch Engage

Civilian Reader Music, Random , , , , ,

Bit late to the party (this video was released in August 2019), but Killswitch Engage’s “The Signal Fire” is not only a great song, but it brings together KSE’s two vocalists: original singer Jesse Leach (1999–2002, 2012–) and Howard Jones (2002–2012). Nicely done.

And, just because it’s one of my favourite of their songs, here’s “All in Due Time” (perfectly showcases Leach’s vocals).

Music Review: FINDING GOD BEFORE GOD FINDS ME by Bad Omens (Sumerian Records)

Civilian Reader Music, Review , , , ,

BadOmens-FindingGodDeluxe

An interesting, eclectic metal album. Pretty cool.

If I hadn’t already known before listening to the album, I could have easily guessed that Finding God Before God Finds Me was released by Sumerian Records. The range of styles and sounds, mixing clean rock and crunchy, scream-y metal seems to be the calling card of many of the label’s artists. Luckily, it’s a mix that I enjoy very much. Some of the bands are better than others, and Bad Omens falls in the former camp — I only came across them relatively recently, but I’ve grown to like them a lot.

Bad Omens is a talented metal band, switching between the metal and rock spectra quite easily and skillfully. They sometimes remind me a bit of Asking Alexandria. Bad Omens is certainly their own band, with their own sound. They’re difficult to pigeon-hole, given the incredible range of their songs. For some, this might make them seem a bit schizophrenic or disjointed, but I think it makes Finding God Before He Finds Me a very interesting listening experience. Continue reading →

Quick Music Review: THORNSTAR by Lord of the Lost (Napalm Records)

Civilian Reader Music, Review , , , , ,

LordOfTheLost-ThornstarI stumbled across Lord of the Lost one evening, enjoying one of my frequent music video binges. Specifically, their video for “Loreley” appeared in my Suggested list, and decided to give them a try. I rather enjoyed what I heard, and decided to check out a few more of their videos.

Naturally, I then went and bought their latest album, Thornstar. Released through Napalm Records, it’s a solid collection of goth-metal tunes, tinged with industrial and broader soundscapes that should appeal to any Wearer of All the Black Clothes. Continue reading →

Music: Within Temptation’s dystopian Sci-Fi video for “Raise Your Banner”…

Civilian Reader Music, Upcoming, Video , , , , , , , ,

Back in September, I shared some info about Within Temptation‘s upcoming new album, Resist, including the music video for the first single, “The Reckoning”. Today, we have the second video, for “Raise Your Banner” (above). This single also features Anders Fridén, vocalist for In Flames (one of my all-time favourite bands).

Resist is due to be released on February 1st by Spinefarm Records (I think it’s been delayed, as I originally thought it was due out in December).

WithinTemptation-Resist

Here’s the video for “The Reckoning”, again:

Follow the Band: Website, YouTube, Twitter

Upcoming: RESIST by Within Temptation (Spinefarm Records)

Civilian Reader Music, Upcoming , , , , , , ,

WithinTemptation-Resist

Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation return this year with Resist, their first album since 2014’s Hydra. A band I have been listening to for decades, I’m really looking forward to it (they are one of the bands whose new music I pre-order immediately). Continue reading →